Which authority is the proper channel for petitions to change an employee-selected physician?

Which authority is the proper channel for petitions to change an employee-selected physician?

• A. Administrative Director
• B. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board
• C. The director of Industrial Relations
• D. The Industrial Medical Council

Answer: (A)

The ability to petition for a change of an employee-selected physician falls under the Administrative Director’s authority. The Administrative Director administers the workers’ compensation medical framework and sets the procedures for medical treatment and physician selection, including how petitions to change the treating physician are filed and processed. The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, by contrast, handles appeals of decisions after actions have been taken, not the initial channel for submitting a petition to change the physician. The other two options don’t have a role in administering these petitions within the California system. If a petition to change physician is granted, the change proceeds under the Administrative Director’s procedures; if not satisfied, issues can later be appealed to the WCAB.

The ability to petition for a change of an employee-selected physician falls under the Administrative Director’s authority. The Administrative Director administers the workers’ compensation medical framework and sets the procedures for medical treatment and physician selection, including how petitions to change the treating physician are filed and processed. The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, by contrast, handles appeals of decisions after actions have been taken, not the initial channel for submitting a petition to change the physician. The other two options don’t have a role in administering these petitions within the California system. If a petition to change physician is granted, the change proceeds under the Administrative Director’s procedures; if not satisfied, issues can later be appealed to the WCAB.